Garment hanger lock mechanism

ABSTRACT

A locking device capable of being readily converted from a coin controlled to noncoin controlled condition. The extension and retraction of a locking hook or bolt is controlled by a keyoperated drum cam which has means for receiving and positioning a coin thereon. A preferred embodiment includes a manually releasable drum-lock which can also be cammed by a coin in operating position on the drum out of drum-locking position when a key is turned.

United States Patent Strang I Mar. 7, 1972 541 GARMENT HANGER LOCKMECHANISM [72] Inventor: Herman D. Strung, 308 Ridge, Algonquin,

[22] Filed: May 7, 1970 211 Appl. No.: 35,397

[52] US. CL. 1/4 [51] Int. Cl ..E05b 73/00 [58] FieldofSearch..2ll/4,7;312/351;194/74, 194/78; 149/38 [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 610,372 9/1898 Sanford ..21 1/4 2,202,427 5/1940 Polen..2l1/4 X 2,438,783 3/1948 Kraft ..21l/4 X 2,868,605 1/1959 O'Connor........21l/4 X 3,028,941 4/1962 McDonnell 1 94/ 78 3,552,535 l/1971 Strang194/74 Primary Examiner-Nile C. Byers, Jr. Attorney-Greist, Lockwood,Greenawalt & Dewey [57] ABSTRACT 3Clalms,9DrawingFigures PAIENTEDMAR 7I972 SHEET 2 0F 2 ill l N VENT OR HERMAN 12 STRANG ATT GARMENT HANGERLOCK MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many types of coin-operatedlocking mechanisms are well known. For example German Pat. Nos. 604,041,and 81 1,406, show coin-operated locking mechanisms which utilize a coinas a link which is essential in order to accomplish locking of themechanism. These German patents show a removable plunger which can besecured in the locking mechanism by a bolt. The bolts cannot reach theplunger, in the absence of a coin, due to the presence of abolt-obstructing shield. The inward movement of the plunger, when a coinis in a linkage position, backs away the bolt-obstructing shield, thuspermitting the bolt to engage and lock the plunger.

Similar devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,989,388, and 3,028,941.The latter U.S. patents show the use of similar locking mechanisms inconjunction with a coat rack. While such locking mechanisms aregenerally satisfactory in coinoperated checking facilities, they are notreadily converted from a coin-operated to a noncoin'operated lockingcondition.

Restaurant operators may find it desirable to use such a garmentchecking facility in a coin-operated condition, for example during theeveningdinner hours, and yet may wish to convert the unit to anoncoin-operated condition, for example, for use in connection with theluncheon trade, orfor use in connection with semiprivate gatherings.

A highly advantageous convertible coin-operated locking mechanism isdisclosed in my copending U.S. Pat.-application Ser. No. 792,923, filedJan. 22, l969.'In accordance with that disclosure, a locking mechanism,having a bolt biased toward a lockable traveler, is provided with abolt-obstructingshield which is pivotable, and which can be backed outof bolt-obstructing position by the inward movement of nonremovablelockable traveler when a coin in inserted through a separate opening.Also, the shield is .manually pivotable to a second position andretainable in the second position to permit continual contact of thebolt against the lockable traveler. In the latter condition the lockingmechanism is noncoin-operated, and insertion of the traveler will causethe traveler to be locked, even without a coin. In the structuredisclosed in-my copending application, the entire locking mechanism ismoved from an unlocked to a locked condition by axial force exerted onthe lockable traveler. In a preferred disclosed embodiment the key-lockis automatically rotated to a locked position by that force and the keyis partially ejected.

Thus in the structure disclosed in my copending-application,

the unlocked mechanism cannot be locked by the turning of the key. Someindividuals, who may fail to notice the automatic rotation of the key,after locking "the mechanism by pushing the lockable traveler intolocked condition, attempt to lock the already locked key-lock cylinderby rotation of the key. In preferred'embodiments-in which the key ispartially ejected, the key-cylinder is not'rotatable with the keypartially inserted and the user in some'instances has been observed toreinsert the key to fully inserted condition, tumthe key, thus unlockingthe already locked lockable traveler, and losing the coin. Hence, somegarment security device owners object to the automatic locking featureof the previous mechanism, i.e., by the axial movement of the lockabletraveler.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a garment securityapparatus having key-controlled locking mechanism, which lockingmechanism also completely controls the positioning of a key-controlledtraveler. It is'another object of this invention to provide a lockingmechanism which is readily converted from coin-controlled tononcoin-controlled condition.

It is another object of a preferred embodiment of this invention toprovide a locking mechanism which lends itself for use in merchandisingestablishments which display :relatively expensive garments, e.g., furcoats, on public-available racks.

It is another object of "this invention to provide a garment securityapparatus which is key-operated, which apparatus automatically retainsthe operating key when the locking device in in unlocked condition.

These and other objectswhich will be apparent hereinafter .areachievedin accordance with thisinvention which is described generallyhereinafter. Also,'the following description includes the disclosure ofapreferred embodiment and some contemplated alternative structures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with this invention, a lockingmechanism having a controlled traveler secured to a key-operatable cam,preferably, to a slotted drum cam, is provided with a cam-lock which ispivotable, and which can be moved out of cam-obstructing position byacoin carried on the rotatable drum cam. The cam-lock is also manuallyreleasable or pivotable to a second position and 'whenso released isretained in the second position by gravity or other biasing means. Inthe latter condition the overall locking mechanism is noncoin operated.Forces exerted on the controlled traveler do not activate the locking orunlocking of the mechanism.

DESIGNATION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 .is a fragmentary elevational view ofa garment checking facility utilizing a locking mechanism in accordancewith this invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional elevational view taken approximately. alongthe line 2-2 of FIG. 1, except that a chain is shown :in position inwhich it can be locked.

FIG. 3-.is an elevational view from the rear of the locking mechanism,for example, as viewed through a rear door at the upper right of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional elevational view taken approximately alongthe line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIGS; 5, 6 and 7 show the relative position of the componentsduring the.locking of the mechanism.

FIG. Sis an elevational cross-sectional view taken approximatelyalongthe .line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are .rear elevational views as presented in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken approximately throughthe line 88 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken approximatelythroughthe line 9-9 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference to the drawings indicatesa .garment rack .as-

semblyat 10 having head piece-section generally 1 1 and agarmentsupportsection generally 12. Each chain 15 is secured to theheadpiece section 11 at one end and has an open loop 17 at the'otherend. Open loops 17 are adapted to engage hook like projections 18 whichextend forwardly of the supporting .port'facing' 20, and-having flanges26, 27, and 28', respectively,':extending at right angles therefrom,which are welded or'otherwisesecured to support facing 20.'Shaded areas29 indicate points at which spot welding is preferred. Drum stop 60 'ispivotally secured to support facing 20, e.g., by rivet 62. Springpost68-is also fixed .to facing 20. Drum stop 60, and

spring'post'68-will be discussed'hereinafter.

v:K'ey locks, generally 31, include a normally-retained, but removablekey'32, a rotatable cylinder 33, and rotatable 'arm 34 carried byrotatable cylinder 33 and fixed .with respect to rotatable cylinder 33(See FIG. 8). The key-lock 31 is preferably a conventional mechanism ofthe type which retains key 32 in the lock while the lock mechanism is inunlocked condition, but releases key 32 while the locking mechanism inin locked condition. Thus, while the cylinder 33 is in the positioncorresponding to the position of arm 34 in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, the key isautomatically retained in the key lock. When the locking mechanism is inthe locked position and pivoted to the position shown at FIG. 9, the keyis released automatically. Locking mechanism 21 resides behindsupporting facing 20 in an enclosed rectangular compartment 37 which haslockable access door 38 at the rear thereof. Coins 40 are retainedwithin enclosed compartment 37 and can be removed through access door38.

Lock-controlled traveler assembly, generally 44, includes projection 18,shaft 42, plate 43 and slidable carriage 45. Heavy cam follower 46 isfixed to plate 43 and extends perpendicularly from the side thereof.Carriage 45 is slidably retained between opposing brackets 47. Top andbottom carriage projections 49, 49', respectively, assist in maintainingtraveling assemblies 44 in proper horizontal orientation, thusfacilitating the smooth sliding of traveling assembly 44. Cam follower46 resides in slot 51 in drum 53. Drum 53 is carried on and fixed withrespect to rotatable arm 34. Slot 51, in the illustrated embodiment, isbiased along drum 53. (See FIG. 4) In the illustrated embodiment, drum53 does not extend completely around its axis of rotation, but ratheronly extends slightly more than halfway to constitute a partiallycylindrical arcuate cam.

Also carried by rotatable arm 34 is levered arm 54 which is fixed withrespect to arm 34. Spring 56 is extended between end 58 of lever arm 54and secondary support frame 26 so that, as illustrated in FIG. 3, spring56 extends along a line above the center of rotatable cylinder 33. Whenthe locking mechanism 2} is in the condition illustrated in FIG. 3,spring 56 biases lever arm 54 upwardly. As illustrated in FIG. 6,partial rotation of cylinder 33, and with it, arms 34, 56 and drum 53,brings spring 56 over-the-center of center of rotation, of cylinder 33.Continued rotation of the arms 34, 54, and drum 53 over-the-centerbrings spring 56 to a position along a line below the rotational centerof cylinder 33 as illustrated in FIG. 7, in which condition spring 56biases arms 34, 54 to rotation in the counterclockwise direction asillustrated in FIG. 7.

Drum Lock In the illustrated embodiment, a means for locking drum 53against rotation, even by rotation of key 30, includes elongated pivotaldrum stop 60, pivotally secured to supporting face or panel 20 by rivet62. Near rivet 62, spring post element 64 is fixed to arm 60. Spring 66is fixed to post 64 and extends downwardly to a releasable attachment tospring post 68 which is fixed to facing 20. When spring 66 is stretchedbetween posts 64, 68, drum lock 60 is biased to rotate upwardly. Drumstop 70, positioned at the upper extreme of drum lock arm 60 ispositioned to engage an advancing portion of drum 53. Extendingrearwardly from, and fixed to drum lock arm 60 is flange 72. Flange 72is oriented on the bias with respect to a radius drawn from the centerof rotation of cylinder 33. The bias alignment of flange 72 permits acoin 40 fixed with respect to, and residing on drum 53, to cam drum stop60 downwardly as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter.

Lower end 74 of spring 66 is releasable from post 68, as illustrated inphantom lines in FIG. 6. When so released, the length and weight of drumstop 60 causes the drum-engaging portion 70 to drop under gravity, thusfreeing drum 53 from cooperation with drum lock 60.

COIN CHANNEL As illustrated in FIG. 2, coin 40 is insertedperpendicularly member 27 extends rearwardly from a line adjacent oneedge of slot 75 for a distance slightly greater than coin 40, at whichpoint member 27 is bent laterally along downwardly and rearwardly biasedline 77 to provide laterally extending portion 78 which extendsdownwardly and rearwardly. Coin channel member 28 extends rearwardlyfrom the other vertical edge of slot 75 and terminates just short oflateral projection 78. Rearwardly extending portion 80 of channel member28 and rearwardly extending portion of channel member 27 thus form arelatively narrow channel therebetween in which an inserted coin ischannelled in substantially vertical alignment and is also channelledbetween face 20 and laterally extending projection 78. Extendinglaterally from channel panel 80 is arcuate guide 82 which, as perhapsbest appreciated from a consideration of FIGS. 6 and 7 has a curvatureapproximating a circumference around the center of rotating cylinder 33.However, the radii between the center and end 84 of guide 82 is somewhatshorter, particularly at the portion thereof closest to supporting panel20. Coin seating notch 86 extends through drum 53 and lever arm 34.Seating notch 86 is positioned in alignment with, i.e., immediatelybelow, coin slot 75, when the projection 18 is extended, unlockedposition.

OPERATION One of the chains 15 is dropped through the sleeve of agarment 13 either before or after it is placed on hanger l4, and endloop 17 of chain 15 is placed over hooklike projection 18. Should thepatron attempt to push projection 18 axially into lock position, themovement of projection 18 is stopped immediately since cam follower 46,residing in slot 5] acts as a detent, or stop. Moreover, the taper ofslot 51, i.e., its pitch, is so small that it constitutes anonreversible drive cam. Hence, even though rotation of drum 53 (andwith it slot 51) smoothly and easily drives traveler assembly 44 backand forth, it is impossible to drive drum 51 by attempting to forcetraveler assembly 44 in either direction. Whenever the locking assemblyis in coin-controlled configuration, i.e., whenever biasing spring 66,is extended between post 64 and 68, the patron cannot turn key 31 toretract projection 18 unless an appropriate coin has been place inoperating position. Whenever the mechanism 21 is in coin-operatedcondition, attempted rotation of drum 53 brings advancing edge of drum53 into engagement with upwardly biased stop 70. However, when coin 40passes through slot 75 it is maintained in vertical alignment betweenrearwardly extending portion of channel members 27, 28. Coin 40 drops bygravity against outer face 88 of drum 53. As perhaps best appreciatedfrom a consideration of FIG. 5, the center of gravity of coin 40 is farenough over slot 86 to cause coin 40 to fall outwardly and downwardlyinto seat slot 86. Laterally extending projection 78 stops continuedrearward movement of coin 40 out of seat slot 86. FIGS. 5 and 6illustrate a side and rear view, respectively, of the relative positionof various components of the mechanism at the same intermediate stage ofrotation. It is noted that coin 40 in its initial (vertical) restposition in seat 86 comes to rest at the bottom of notch seat 86 at alevel (see A in FIG. 3) at which a lower edge thereof engages flange 72of pivotal drum lock 60. As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6 initialrotation of rotatably cylinder 33 with coin 40 in coin seat slot 86causes coin 40 to rotate with drum 53 while being retained in seat slot86 by guides 78, 82. As rotation continues the edge of coin 40 bearsdownwardly against flange 72 pivoting flange 72, and with it lock arm50, moving drum-engaging member 70 downwardly, out of the path ofadvancing leading edge 90, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Thus the coin isthe operator element drivingdrum lock 60 out of drum-locking position asdrum 53 rotates. Continued rotation of drum 53 to the positionillustrated in FIG. 7 brings coin 40 clear of laterally extending guidemember 78, but not clear of curved guide member 82. As indicated above,the radius of curvature of guide member 82 shortens towards end 84thereof with the result that as coin 40 is moved along guide 82 towardsend 84 the resiliency of guide member 82 biases coin 40 downwardly andrearwardly. As soon as coin 40 clears guide 78 the downward and rearwardbiasing of guide 82 forcibly ejects coin 40 from seat slot 86. As soonas coin 40 clears flange 72 spring 66 biases lock 60 upwardly and it nowslidably rides along inner face 93 of drum cam 53.

As indicated in FIG. 7 spring 56 is mounted on secondary frame 26 tospring 56 over-the-center of rotation of drum 53 and, as illustrated inFIG. 7, this over-the-center change in direction of bias of rotationoccurs at the moment at which coin 40 is ejected from drum 53. Spring56, with the aid of the high mechanical advantage afforded by arm 54snaps drum 53 to a stop point. The extremes of rotation of drum 53 areperhaps best appreciated from a consideration of FIG. 4 in which drum 53is shown with cam slot 46 in the positions obtained at the lock andunlock configuration of lockable traveler assembly 44. Thus, it will beappreciated from a consideration of FIG. 4, that the position indicatedfor slot 51 at the lower portion of drum 53 corresponds to the positionin which cam follower 46 resides with traveler 44 in extended position,i.e., with projection 18 extended forwardly of facade 22. As drum 53rotates in an upward direction, as viewed in FIG. 4, cam slot 51 movesupwardly to the position illustrated in phantom lines forcing camfollower 46 rearwardly, thus bringing traveler 44 (and projection 18)into rearward locked position. It is further noted that cam follower 46also serves as a rotation stop at each end of slot 51. Thus, downwardrotation of drum 53 is stopped by the upper end of slot 51 as viewed inFIG. 4, and the rotation of drum 53 in the opposite direction is stoppedby follower 46 at the other end of slot 51.

NONCOIN OPERATING CONDITION To convert the locking mechanism to anoncoin-operated condition, end 74 of spring 66 is detached from springpost 68. The condition obtained is indicated by the phantom presentationof spring 74 in FIG. 6. Due to the generally elongated character ofdrum-lock 60, and due to the weight of the elements, the drum-lockassembly 66 will pivot by gravity to a configuration approximately thatillustrated in FIG. 6 in which drum-engaging element 70 is pivoteddownwardly and out of the path of advancing edge 90 of drum 53.

Should the basic mechanism be needed for use in an installation whichwill never be coin-operated, e.g., in a retail merchandisingestablishment displaying relatively expensive garments, such as furcoats, in a publicly available setting, facade 22 would not have slot 75extending therethroug'h, and drum-lock mechanism would be disengaged byrelease of end 74 of spring 66 from post 68, or drum-lock mechanismsimply be omitted. Thus, in such an embodiment, the garment-securityapparatus would be operable only by key, and the turning of the keywould permit unrestricted rotation of drum' 53, and with-that rotation,the controlled extension or retraction of lockable traveler assembly 44.

This apparatus provides inherent mechanism of utter simplicity forrejecting wrong-sized coins. Thus, the size of slot 75 is selected topermit close fitting proper coin to pass therethrough. Hence, anassembly intended for use with American quarters, for example, willinclude slot 75 sized to permit the passage of a quarter therethrough,but not permit the passage of a half-dollar, for example. Guide panel 78is sized to retain the coin of proper size in seating slot 86.Substantially smaller-sized coins, e.g., dimes or nickels, upon fallinginto seating slot 86 do not engage guide panel 78-and consequentlyimmediately roll rearwardly and downwardly out of seating slot 86. Thus,should a patron attempt to operate a mechanism which is sized to beoperated by quarters by use of a nickel or a dime, for example, theassembly [0 simply accepts the coin and retains it, but the coinautomatically disengages itself from an operating relationship withlocking mechanism 21, thus making subsequent jamming impossible.

In the illustrated embodiment, cam slot 51 controls the position ofslidable traveler assembly 41. Front edge 95 of slot 51 is the surfacewhich is essential for retraction and locking, i.e., preventingextension of traveler 44. Rear edge 97 serves to force extension oftraveler 44 as drum 53 is rotated in extending direction. Rear edge 97also prevents retraction independently of corresponding rotation of cam53. Alternatively, a nonslotted drum cam similar to drum 53, except thatedge 97 is eliminated, can be used in accordance with this invention. Insuch an embodiment, conventional biasing means for urging cam-follower46 against edge 95 is employed. In such an embodiment, the traveler isnot controlled" inasmuch as it can be pushed by axially directed forceon extension 18, into a retracted position, independently of rotation ofdrum 53. However, it automatically reextends, when the force is releasedto a position at which cam-follower 46 engages surface 95. Nonetheless,traveler 44 is controlled" to the extent that it is retracted byrotation of cam 53, and extension beyond that permitted by theprevailing position of cam edge 95 is prevented. Other-modifications ofthis invention will also be apparent. The disclosure above is notintended to be limiting, but illustrative of the invention which isdefined in the claims.

ACHIEVEMENT It will beappreciated that the mechanism disclosed herein,being key operated, has the psychological advantage of readily adaptingitself to the instinctive tendency of a patron to turn a key to lock themechanism, and moreover patrons exhibit little tendency to inadvertentlyrerelease the locked traveler and accidentally lose the coin. Because ofthe relatively gentle pitch which is used, in accordance with thisinvention, in slot 51 on cam drum 53, it is impossible to drive thelocking mechanism by axially exerted forces on traveler 44.

The mechanism can be almost instantly converted from a coin-operated toa noncoin-operated condition by release of spring 66. It is furthernoted that the invention requires the use of no tools, and no specialskills, in order to convert the mechanism from coin-operated tononcoin-operated condition.

Moreover, the apparatus of this invention is eminently satisfactory foruse either as a coinoperated unit, or a noncoin-operated unit. Thus, amanufacturer can supply a single lock mechanism 21 even if the customerneeds it solely for use as either a coin-operated unit, or anoncoin-operated unit. Thus, if a customer requires only anoncoin-operated unit, e.g., as a garment-security apparatus in a retailstore, the same mechanism can be supplied, except that drum lock 60 isprovided in its swung-down position. In this case a decorative facade isinserted instead of facade 22. The decorative facade is'identical tofacade .22 in every respect, but lacking in coinslot 71.

Moreover, because of the relatively large size of drum 53, and becauseof the fact that traveler 44 moves parallel to the face of drum.53, theassembly is capable of withstanding the exertion of. great forces in anaxial direction on lockable traveler-:44, and, because of the relativelylarge size of drum 53 these forces are distributed over a wide portionof the rear face of supporting base 20.

I claim:

1. In a garment security apparatus including a frame, means for hanginga garment on said frame, a chain permanently at- .tached to. said frameat one, end of the chain, retractable chain-engaging means forretracting and locking the other. end of said chainagainst a facingpanel on the apparatus, and a locking mechanism for lockingsaidretractable chain-engaging means in the retracted position, theimprovement which cam-follower means fixed with respect to theretractable chain-engaging means, said cam-follower means beingoperatively associated in the cam slot of said cam means;

slide means for slidably supporting the retractable chain-engagingmeans, and for maintaining the cam-follower means in operativeassociation with said slot;

over-the-center biasing means for biasing the rotation of the lockcylinder toward a first and a second position corresponding to theextended and retracted positions, respectively, of said retractablechain-engaging means. 2. in a garment security apparatus including aframe, means for hanging a garment on said frame, a chain permanentlyattached to said frame at one end of the chain, chain-engaging means forlocking the other end of said chain against a facing panel, saidchain-engaging means including a traveler which can move to an extendedand to a retraced position, and a locking mechanism for locking saidchain-engaging means in a retracted position, the improvement whichincludes:

key-operable pivotal lock cylinder pivotal around an axis which isperpendicular to said facing panel, said cylinde being carried by saidpanel;

slotted drum cam means fixed with respect to said pivotal lock cylinder;

over-the-center biasing means for biasing said pivotal lock cylindertowards a first and a second position, said first position correspondingto the position of the cylinder when the chain-engaging means is in anextended position with respect to the facing panel, said second positioncorresponding to the position of the cylinders when the chain-engagingmeans is in a retracted position with respect to said facing panel;

said chain-engaging means including cam-follower means fixed withrespect to the traveler; and

slide means for slidably supporting the retractable traveler and formaintaining the cam-follower means in operative association with saidslot.

3. In a garment security apparatus including a frame, means for hanginga garment on said frame, a chain permanently attached to said frame atone end of the chain, retractable chain-engaging means for locking theother end of said chain against the front of a facing panel of saidapparatus, and a locking mechanism for limiting the extension of saidretractable chain-engaging means, the improvement in which:

a retractable traveler is slidably supported for movement between anextended and retraced position along a line substantially perpendicularto said facing panel, said traveler having a laterally extendingprojection, said projection extending from said traveler behind saidfacing panel;

said apparatus includes cam means for retracting said traveler,including pivotal cam means, said pivotal cam means includingkey-operated lock cylinder means for controlling pivotal movement of thecam means; and

coin-releasable lock means for locking the cam means against pivotalmovement for retracting the traveler.

Patent No. 6 4-7\O72 Inventor(s) Herman I), Strang It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

column 1, line 36 take out "in" and insert is column 4 line 23 after"is" insert in column 4, line 62 take out 'rotably" and insert rotatablem retracted In column 8 line 17 take out "retreced" and. insert Mretracted Signed and sealed this 29th day of May 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.PLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents FORM PC4050 (10-59) I uscoMM-Dc scan-P69 n U.S.'GOVERN"ENTPRINTING OFFICE} 19.9 0-355-334:

1. In a garment security apparatus including a frame, means for hanginga garment on said frame, a chain permanently attached to said frame atone end of the chain, retractable chain-engaging means for retractingand locking the other end of said chain against a facing panel on theapparatus, and a locking mechanism for locking said retractablechain-engaging means in the retracted position, the improvement whichincludes: key-operable lock cylinder pivotal around an axis which isperpendicular to said facing panel; slotted drum cam means fixed withrespect to said pivotal lock cylinder, said cam means having a cam slot;cam-follower means fixed with respect to the retractable chainengagingmeans, said cam-follower means being operatively associated in the camslot of said cam means; slide means for slidably supporting theretractable chainengaging means, and for maintaining the cam-followermeans in operative association with said slot; over-the-center biasingmeans for biasing the rotation of the lock cylinder toward a first and asecond position corresponding to the extended and retracted positions,respectively, of said retractable chain-engaging means.
 2. In a garmentsecurity apparatus including a frame, means for hanging a garment onsaid frame, a chain permanently attached to said frame at one end of thechain, chain-engaging means for locking the other end of said chainagainst a facing panel, said chain-engaging means including a travelerwhich can move to an extended and to a retraced position, and a lockingmechanism for locking said chain-engaging means in a retracted position,the improvement which includes: key-operable pivotal lock cylinderpivotal around an axis which is perpendicular to said facing panel, saidcylinder being carried by said panel; slotted drum cam means fixed withrespect to said pivotal lock cylinder; over-the-center biasing means forbiasing said pivotal lock cylinder towards a first and a secondposition, said first position corresponding to the position of thecylinder when the chain-engaging means is in an extended position withrespect to the facing panel, said second position corresponding to theposition of the cylinders when the chain-engaging means is in aretracted position with respect to said facing panel; saidchain-engaging means including cam-follower means fixed with respect tothe traveler; and slide means for slidably supporting the retractabletraveler and for maintaining the cam-follower means in operativeassociation with said slot.
 3. In a garment security apparatus includinga frame, means for hanging a garment on said frame, a chain permanentlyattached to said frame at one end of the chain, retractablechain-engaging means for locking the other end of said chain against thefront of a facing panel of said apparatus, and a locking mechanism forlimiting the extension of said retractable chain-engaging means, theimprovement in which: a retractable traveler is slidably supported formovement between an extended and retraced position along a linesubstantially perpendicular to said facing panel, said traveler having alaterally extending projection, said projection extending from saidtraveler behind said facing panel; said apparatus includes cam means forretracting sAid traveler, including pivotal cam means, said pivotal cammeans including key-operated lock cylinder means for controlling pivotalmovement of the cam means; and coin-releasable lock means for lockingthe cam means against pivotal movement for retracting the traveler.